Door catch to hold the door open



March 25 1924.

1,487,735 P. FRAN-rz DOOR CATCH`TO HOLD THE DOOR OPEN Filed Oct. 1. 1921 Patented Mar. 25, 1924.

PETER FRANTZ, OF STERLING, ILLINOIS,Y ASSIGNOR T FRANTZ MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 0F STERLING, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS.

DOOR CATCH TO HOLD THE DOOR OPEN.

Application filed October 1, 1921.

To all whom t may concern.' a

Be it known that I, PETER FRANTZ, a citizen of the United States, and a resident o f Sterling, county of Whiteside, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door Catches to Hold the Door Open, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to door holders or catches for holding the door open. In cerfain respects, therefore, the invention is in the nature of an improvement on the construction covered by prior application Serial No. 285,876. As is well known, door holders 'of this general character are employed for various purposes, but more particularly for holding open the door of a garage.

Generally stated, the object of the invention is to provide means for connecting the door holder with the swinging. door of the garage or other building, and to provide novel and improved means for supporting the door holder on the upper portion of the door frame, whereby the device will operate v freely and without binding when the door is opened and closed.

It is also an object to provide certain details and features of construction tending to increase the general efficiency and the desirability of a door holder of this vparticular character.

To these and other useful ends, the invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a horizontal section of a p0rtion of the door of a garage and adjacent portions of the building, showing the same equipped with a door holder or catch embodying the principles of the invention, the door being shown in open position.

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the door closed.

Figure 3 is a vertical section on line 3-.3 in Figure l.

Figure 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the door holder, showing intermediate portions thereof broken away for convenience of illustration.

Figure 5 is a perspective of the so called strike piece or support by which the arm of the door holder is connected to the upper portion of the door frame.

Figure 6 is an enlarged front elevation of Serial No. 504,760.

the bracket by which the swinging arm of the door holder is pivoted on the door.

As thus illustrated, the sheet metal bracket plate 1 is secured tothe under side of the door frame by screws or in any other suitable or desired manner. The sheet metal element 2 is swiveled at its upper end upon the door surface of the plate 1, by means of a rivet 8, and is provided with two side walls spaced apart and connected together1 by the transverse portion 4 and upon which the hollow sheet metal arm 5 of the door holder slides and rests while in use in the manner shown. As will be seen, the hollow arm 5 is formed from sheet metal bent to provide a top wall and two side walls spaced apart, leaving the bottom open; and the free end of this arm 9 has a head portion 6' forming a shoulder 7 which engages the i transverse support 4 previously mentioned. The bevel 5 on the lower edges of the two sides of the arm enables the latter to move endwise over the cross piece 4 when the door is closed. A lever 8 is pivoted at 9 within the hollow arm and has its end 10 adapted to engage the cross piece 4 to lock the door in open position, as shown in Figure 4, said lever being adapted to gravitate into this position by reason of the location of the pivot 9 nearer the other end thereof. A chain 11 is hung on the shorter end of said lever 8 and is disposed in position to be grasped by the occupant of the automobile. The pivoted or supported end of the arm 5 has the top portion thereof cut away at 12, and the two side walls of this portion are bent slightly together to form a reduced neck 13 with a cylindrical vertical bearing 14 at the extreme end. The upper and lower portions of this cylindrical bearing or pivot 14 extend through openings 15 in the top and bottom portions 16 of the sheet metal bracket plate 17, the latter being secured to the inner surface of the door'by bolts or screws, or in any other desired manner, whereby the arm 5 swings about a vertical aXis formed by the cylindrical portion 14 of the sheet metal arm itself.

To close the door the occupant of the automobile reaches out and pulls down on the chain 11, thus raising the end portion 10 of the locking lever, and allowing the door, which latter is usually provided with a closing spring, to close of its own accord. When the door is opened, thearm 5 slides through the guide or strike piece 2 until the shoulder 'T' strikes the transverse portion t of the lever 8,'then drops into locking position, as shown, thus automatically locking' the door in open position. The guide or strike piece 2 turns about a vertical axis provided by the rivet 3, so that it is always parallel with the arm 5, whereby the latter slides freely Without binding Yin any Way. In practice, the armr andthe bracket plate 17 are preferably @assembled in the factory as shown, se that by attaching' the bracket 17 to the door the arm 5 and the locking le ver 3 and its depending chain 1l are disposed in proper position. Then the plate l is secured to the underside ofthe door franie, and the arm 5 .is inserted through the guide or strikelpiece 2, and the entire device is then ready for use in the manner described. Vlllie entire device is made from sheet metal.l it Willllbe seen, With the exception of the chain ll andthe pivot 9 and the rivet 3, and the head 6 is preferably formed by pinching tlatwise together the n:two side Walls of the arm 5 Vat the extreme end thereof. n

lVliat I claim as my invention is: l. In a catch or door holder to hold the door open, the combination of a. bracket plate adapted to be secared to the inner side of the door and provided with upper and l lower i portions having vertically alined openings therein, ahorizo'ntally disposed sheet metal arm having thelsheet metal at one end thereof bent to forni a cylindrical portion the upper and lower ends of which turn or rotate in said openings, means to connectsaid arm with the building and means carried by said arm to lock the door in open position.

2. In a catch or door holder to hold the door open, the'combin'ation lof a bracket plate to be secured over head to the doorway, a pivot on said plate, a sheet metal guide bent down at each end thereof to provide side portions spaced apart, the top of said guide being supported by said pivot, a transverse connection between the lower end portions of said guide, an arm pivoted on the door to slide back and forth between the side portions of said guide, on said transverse portion, so that the guide will turn With the arm about a vertical axis formed by said pivet, and means to lock the arm to said'transverse portion toY hold the doorfopen` A structure as specified in claim 2, in

combination 'with means adjacent the door to disengagerthe arm fronrsaid transverse portion, so that thefarin may rise bet-Ween VVthe side portions of the guide to permit closing ofthe door.

:PETER FRANTZ. 

